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Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara bowls over Brian Strait of the Islanders in Boston on Thursday. Later, in a collision with John Tavares, Chara tore a knee ligament, left the game and could miss six weeks of play.Charles Krupa/The Associated Press

He is both an irresistible force and an immovable object on the blueline; a 6-foot-9 eraser of time and space who makes a living battling the top players in the game for every last inch of ice. Now his team has to try to figure out how to win without him.

The Boston Bruins arrive in Toronto on Saturday to face the Maple Leafs reeling from the news that captain Zdeno Chara will miss four to six weeks with a tear in the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The injury occurred in a game Thursday night, when the big defenceman steamrolled New York Islanders star John Tavares with an open-ice hit in the first period. The two knocked knees on the play. Chara played another shift before exiting the game for good.

"It's obviously a blow," Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli told the media in Boston on Friday after confirming the diagnosis. "He's one of the premier defencemen in the league, but I'd rather have it four to six weeks than four to six months."

The Bruins are hopeful that Chara, who has been as durable as he has been effective since joining the team in 2006, will avoid surgery as part of the recovery process. A key cog on both the power play and penalty kill, he has missed just 20 regular-season games in his Boston career.

Coach Claude Julien, who has seen his team start slowly with a 4-5 record through nine games, said expectations won't change during Chara's absence.

"If we become that bad of a team because of one player, it's not a real good sign for a hockey club," Julien said. "You've got to hope that your team is strong enough as a whole to overcome these things.

"Did we lose a good player? We did. Is he a big part of our team? Yes he is, but I'd like to think we're better than to feel sorry for ourselves or be discouraged. That's not the case in our dressing room right now."

For the Maple Leafs, coming off a 5-2 road win over the Islanders on Tuesday night, Saturday's game on home ice offers an opportunity to pounce on a staggered rival.

"It's obviously a big loss for their hockey club but, saying that, it's a gain for the Leafs for Saturday," Leafs assistant coach Steve Spott said after practice Friday. "But we can't make this about one player. We know how good Boston is and how deep they are so we have to respect that."

Chara, who leads all Boston skaters with an average of 21:41 in ice time per game, spends the vast majority of his time in Toronto smothering Leafs sniper Phil Kessel. The two rarely spend a shift apart, with Julien sending the former Norris Trophy winner over the boards as much as possible to nullify Kessel's offence.

"He moves well for a big guy and has that long stick," said Leafs winger James van Riemsdyk, another member of Toronto's top line. "He's probably one of the strongest guys in the whole league. You know what you're in for when he is out there."

While the Leafs won't have to worry about that matchup, they still expect a tight-checking effort from the Bruins, led by reigning Selke Trophy winner Patrice Bergeron.

"Whoever is in their lineup, we know the type of team they have and we know the style of game that they play," Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf said. "We expect a physical game and a game with a lot of energy. That's how it is when we play them. We have a rivalry with Boston and they are going to play the same way, whether he [Chara] is in or not."

The Bruins, already short on the blueline with Kevan Miller nursing a dislocated right shoulder and Johnny Boychuk traded to the Islanders in a salary-cap move on the eve of the regular season, recalled defencemen Zach Trotman and Joe Morrow from Providence of the American Hockey League.

They join Dougie Hamilton, Dennis Seidenberg, Torey Krug, Adam McQuaid and Matt Bartkowski as the healthy options for Julien on the back end.

"It will take everyone to fill that void," Bruins forward Chris Kelly said. "It's not just the defence that needs to defend. It's five men working together in all three zones."

With a report from The Associated Press

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